Northrop YF-23 Black Widow II

The YF-23 Black Widow is perhaps the GREATEST fighter plane that never was. She was a single seat stealth fighter originally designed by Northrop which was one of several companies that submitted design proposals to the United States Air Force (USAF). The USAF selected proposals from Northrop and Lockheed with Lockheed, Boeing and General Dynamics teaming up to develop the YF-22 Raptor while Northrop teamed up with McDonnell Douglas to develop the YF-23 Black Widow II.

There were two Northrop YF-23 prototypes built nicknamed the “Black Widow II” and “Gray Ghost”. The YF-23A Gray Ghost was the production variant of the YF-23 and the YF-23 Black Widow II was the first prototype. Northrop’s YF-23 was competing in the USAF’s Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) competition, battling the Lockheed YF-22 for a production contract. The next four years would see the YF-23 and YF-22 compete in a hotly contested evaluation and development process.

YF-23 Black Widow II – Full Documentary – This Is A Must Watch Video!

The YF-23 Black Widow looks like something you would see in a Buck Rogers or Star Wars movie. She was definitely ahead of her time and one of the most beautiful fighter planes ever built. As you take a look at this AMAZING airplane, it’s hard to believe that she was designed and built in the late 1980’s. The YF-23 Black Widow II was stealthier and faster, but less agile than the YF-22 Raptor. It was a long and grueling development and evaluation process.

Both airplanes exceeded expectations but there could only be one winner. In 1991, the USAF finally announced the winner of the competition. Although the YF-23 Black Widow performed flawlessly throughout the development and evaluation process. The USAF chose the YF-22 which entered into production as the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. It’s too bad that the USAF did not decide to build both aircraft. She would have been a great addition to the Air Force!

YF-23 Black Widow 2 Declassified

The YF-23 Black Widow 2 Declassified, here’s what we know! There are two YF-23 prototypes in existence and were built by Northrop/McDonnell Douglas in 1989-1990. The first YF-23 (serial number 87-0800), Prototype Air Vehicle 1 (PAV-1), rolled out on June 22, 1990 and made its maiden flight on August 27, 1990 piloted by Alfred “Paul” Metz. The second YF-23 (serial number 87-0801, PAV-2) made its maiden flight on October 26, 1990 with Jim Sandberg at the controls.

The first YF-23 was nicknamed the “Black Widow II”, after the LEGENDARY Northrop P-61 Black Widow of World War II. She was painted charcoal gray while the second YF-23 Spider or Gray Ghost was painted in two shades of gray. The YF-23 had diamond shaped wings which made it an unconventional-looking aircraft. The YF-23 also featured an all-moving V-tail while the diamond wing configuration reduced aerodynamic drag at transonic speeds.

It was a revolutionary and bold design. The engineers really thought outside the box with their YF-23 design. There was nothing like the YF-23 then and NOW! Both YF-23’s flew 50 times for a total of 65.2 hours. These test flights demonstrated and confirmed Northrop’s predicted performance values for their YF-23. The YF-23 Black Widow II was much more faster and stealthier but the YF-22 was more agile.

On September 18, 1990, the first YF-23 super-cruised at Mach 1.43 while the second YF-23 reached Mach 1.6 on November 29, 1990. The YF-23 achieved a maximum angle-of-attack of 25° and a top speed of Mach 1.8 with afterburners. Although the maximum speed is classified, inside sources state a super-cruise speed greater than Mach 1.6 and a maximum speed greater than Mach 2 at altitude.

YF-23 Cockpit

The YF-23 Cockpit was state-of-the-art back in the its day and was every fighter pilot’s dream! The cockpit was placed high near the nose of the aircraft for the best visibility a fighter pilot could ask for. The pilot had a full 360° view which is unprecedented in a fighter aircraft. The cockpit features the control stick between the pilots legs with the throttle on the side with two head-down displays (HDD) right in front of the pilot.

The YF-23’s flight control surfaces are controlled by the central management computer system. Pilots could raise the wing flaps and ailerons on one side and lower them on the other providing roll. The YF-23’s V-tail fins are angled at 50° from vertical. Pitch is mainly provided by rotating the YF-23’s V-tail fins in opposite directions so their front edges move together or apart and yaw is supplied by rotating the tail fins in the same direction.

YF-23 Engine

The YF-23 Engine in the image above is the Pratt & Whitney YF119 which had 35,000 lbf (156 kN) each while the second YF-23’s engine was a General Electric YF120 after-burning turbofan. Both the Pratt & Whitney YF119 and the General Electric YF120 after-burning turbofan were great power plants for the YF-23 and performed similarly in test flights.

Had the YF-23 Gray Ghost went into production, they would have probably fitted her with the Pratt & Whitney YF119. This is the same power plant the USAF chose for the F-22 Raptor production version. The Pratt & Whitney YF119 had a maximum speed at altitude Mach 2.2+ (1,450+ mph, 2,335+ km/h) and at super-cruise Mach 1.6+ (1,060+ mph, 1,706+ km/h).

YF-23 Images

Here are some YF-23 Images I found online that will give you a good look at the YF-23 Black Widow. She is a beautiful aircraft no matter what angle you look at her. All right, lets take a walk around the YF-23 and get close up view. All right, lets start with the front of the aircraft. Below, is the front view of the AMAZING YF-23 Black Widow and she looks like she’s ready for take-off!

You can clearly see why she was much more stealthier than the YF-22. Her sleek design with her 50 degree V-Tail make her almost completely invisible to radar and she is much more stealthier than the F-117 Nighthawk too! She was dubbed the World’s first invisible plane and with good reason. The enemy is fortunate this plane never went into production because they’d never see what hit them, LITERALLY!

Take a look at this incredible profile shot of the YF-23 and imagine what it would be like standing right next to her. As you can see she has a long sleek design so she can travel at transonic speeds and avoid enemy radar with ease. There are no other aircraft in service around the world today that can compare with the YF-23 with the exception of the F-22 Raptor.

Lets continue our walk around and take a look at the back of the YF-23 Black Widow. Now you can get a real good look at the 50 degree V-Tail and the unique engine exhaust design. Unlike conventional aircraft, the exhaust does not come straight out of the back of the engine but through troughs lined with heat-ablating tiles to dissipate heat and shield the engines from infrared homing (IR) missile detection from below. They were not thrust vectoring like the YF-22.

Why The YF-23 “Gray Ghost” Was Never Built – The Super Plane Forgotten

Now that you’ve got to see the AMAZING YF-23 Black Widow up close and personal. You may be asking the same question I’m asking. Why wasn’t the YF-23 chosen over the YF-22? Well, there may be several reason such as the one ones stated by the United States Air Force on April 23, 1991 when Secretary of the Air Force Donald Rice announced that the YF-22 was the winner.

Perhaps one of the reasons the YF-23 was not chosen was because it was not as agile as the YF-22. Some aviation insiders speculated in the aviation press that the YF-22 was also seen as more adaptable to the Navy’s NATF, but by 1992 the U.S. Navy had abandoned its Navalized Advanced Tactical Fighter (NATF) program which the YF-23 was not suited for. Perhaps the YF-23 would have been chosen instead had the Navy made their decision earlier.

There was a possible revival of the YF-23 in 2004 to meet the USAF’s need for an interim bomber. Northrop modified the YF-23A Gray Ghost which was the second prototype built as the production variant. However as fate would have it, the YF-23 would never enter into service as an interim bomber. In 2006, the Quadrennial Defense Review concluded that they needed a long-range bomber with much greater range.

The YF-23’s are now retired and resting comfortably in museums. YF-23A PAV-2, AF serial number 87-0801, registration number N232YF, is on display at Zamperini Field, Torrance, California and YF-23A PAV-1, Air Force serial number 87-0800, registration number N231YF, is on display in the Research and Development hangar of the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio.

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Fokker DR.1 Triplane

Manfred von Richthofen also known as “The Red Baron” made the Fokker DR.1 Triplane infamous and they will forever be linked in history. It is the Fokker DR.1 that is etched in everyone’s mind when they think of the Red Baron. This incredible aircraft briefly gave the Luftstreitkräfte (German Air Service) a deadly advantage as soon as it appeared over the Western Front.

The Fokker DR.1 was built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke after the Luftstreitkräfte captured a Sopwith Triplane in February, 1917. Anthony Fokker inspected a captured Sopwith Triplane in April, 1917 while visiting Jasta 11. After inspecting the Sopwith Triplane’s design, Anthony Fokker returned to his Schwerin factory and instructed Reinhold Platz to build a triplane. It’s mportant to note that Anthony Fokker did NOT give Reinhold Platz any technical information about the Sopwith design. This would be German engineering at it’s BEST!

Manfred von Richthofen flew one of the first two pre-production triplanes that were designated F.I. These were the first triplanes in accord with Idflieg’s early class prefix for triplanes. On September 1, 1917, Manfred von Richthofen jumped into the cockpit of his Fokker DR.1 serial number 102/17. He shot down two enemy aircraft within the next two days. Richthofen quickly determined that the F.I was far superior to the Sopwith Triplane in every way.

Richthofen also strongly recommended that all fighter squadrons be reequipped with the Fokker DR.1 as quickly as possible. In September 1917, Idflieg sent in a production order for 100 Fokker DR.1’s in September in addition to 200 more aircraft in November. 320 triplanes would be produced during World War I. There are only three triplanes that are known to have survived the Armistice.

One is believed to have crashed sometime in the late 1930s and two were lost to Allied bombing raids on Germany during World War II. There are no surviving triplanes but there are some original Dr.I artifacts on display in museums. There are a large number of replica aircraft that have been built over the years for private collectors and museums. If you’re lucky, you might even see one at an air show near you!

Fokker Aircraft

Fokker’s first aircraft design was the the Spin (Spider) pictured below and was the first Dutch-built plane to fly in his home country. Because of better opportunities in Berlin Germany, on February 12, 1912, Anthony Fokker founded Fokker Aircraft (Fokker Aviatik GmbH). Fokker sold several Fokker Spin monoplanes to the German government and had his factories built in Germany.

He was able to quickly capitalize because of World War I which did NOT start out as an air war. There was no such thing as an air war before World War I. The invention of powered flight was in 1903 and aviation was still in its infancy. Before powered flight, armies would use hot air balloons for observing enemy positions like they did during the American Civil War for example.

So, it was natural for the militaries of the time to utilize aircraft the same way. They installed state-of-the-art cameras to photograph troop positions and to get a bird’s eye view of the battle field. These early reconnaissance missions were relatively safe because there was no such thing as air combat yet. Troops on the ground would often shoot at these aircraft but were unsuccessful.

They would send their reconnaissance aircraft to harass the enemies. The aircraft weren’t armed so the thought of shooting down enemy aircraft had still not been thought of. Until on some unknown date in history by an unknown pilot took a shot at an enemy aircraft with his pistol. Since that time forward, the “The DOGFIGHT” was born and a new era of warfare unleashed.

Fokker DR1 Cockpit

Take a look at the replica Fokker DR1 Cockpit below. It is an exact replica of The Red Barons cockpit and as you can clearly see. It was cramped and had little to no flight instruments. Most cockpits during that time did not look much different. Even though these aircraft were state-of-the-art at that time. The cockpit was crude at best!

One of the major problems with the Fokker DR1 Cockpit was the lack of visibility for the pilot during takeoffs and landings. Another big problem was that the cockpit was cramped and made of inferior materials which made for a crude and hazardous cockpit. The biggest problem of all was the placement of the twin 7.92 Spandau machine guns and the lack of sufficient crash pads on the front of the cockpit.

This became a huge issue because the pilots were vulnerable to severe head injuries or even death in the event of a crash landing. This proved to be true once the Fokker DR.1 entered service and they started getting shot out of the sky. Pilots did not want to crash land a Fokker DR.1 because they were well aware of aircrafts deficiencies. Lots of German pilots were seriously injured and killed because of these design flaws.

If all of this was not dangerous enough for the pilots, they also wore no parachutes. All though they had parachutes at the time pilots did not wear them. So, if the unthinkable were to happen and your plane is shot down. You had three choices and each and every one of them was worse than the next. You could shoot yourself, burn alive inside the airplane or jump to your certain death. Do you have what it takes to be a World War I fighter pilot?

Fokker DR.1 Engine

You are looking at a close-up view of a replica Fokker DR.1 Engine. Since their are no original Fokker Dr.1 Engines in existence, obviously a replica Fokker DR.1 Engine had to be built. Authentic rotary engines are extremely scarce and difficult to find. Finding an authentic rotary engine is half the battle. If you happen to come across an authentic rotary engine, prepare to pay an astronomical price for it!

Since authentic rotary engines are so rare and expensive. Almost all replica aircraft are powered by a Warner Scarab or Continental R-670 radial engine. These are some of the finest rotary engines that money can buy! There are a few Fokker DR.1 replicas that do feature the vintage Le Rhône 9J or the reproduction Oberursel Ur.II rotary engines. These engines are just as airworthy as their counterparts in every way.

The power plant used for the production variant of the Fokker DR.1 was the Le Rhône 9J engine. This engine was manufactured under license in Germany by Motorenfabrik Oberursel and sold as the Oberursel UR.II. The Oberursel UR.II had 110 hp in a reference to its nominal power rating and was a perfect match for the Fokker DR.1 Triplane. The Oberursel UR.II gave the Fokker DR.1 an incredible rate of climb and an advantage over enemy aircraft.

The Oberursel UR.II is a 9 cylinder rotary aircraft engine that was originally produced in France and powered many other World War I fighter planes too! This AMAZING rotary engine flew for all sides in World War I and a handful still fly today. These engines were ahead of their time and well designed by the engineers. They were well built and designed plus the engineers got every ounce of horsepower they could get out of those engines.

Manfred von Richthofen – “The Red Baron” – World War I Ace Of Aces!

Manfred von Richthofen “The Red Baron” was born on May 2, 1892 in the Breslau, Province of Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire. The Red Baron is the MOST FAMOUS fighter pilot ever! He flew for the German Air Force during World War I and is considered to be the ace of aces and the finest fighter pilot during the war. He only flew for three years but left a legacy that will last an eternity.

Richthofen is officially credited with 80 air victories during the war. Some historians say the number of air victories credited to Richthofen is well over 100. However, for some strange reason all of Richthofen’s air victories were not documented. During research done in the 1950s, historians discovered that 73 out of Richthofen’s 80 “OFFICIAL” air victories were verified, matching British and French records. The Germans even kept records of serial numbers, models of the aircraft and names of pilots as well.

German ace fighter pilot Oswald Boelcke met a young Manfred Von Richthofen which led him to entering flight training school in October 1915. Manfred von Richthofen also had a younger brother named Lothar von Richthofen who was training troops in Luben. Manfred encouraged his brother Lothar to transfer to the Fliegertruppe. In just one month, Manfred von Richthofen joined the Kampfgeschwader 2 (“No. 2 Bomber Squadron”).

Manfred Von Richthofen’s first plane was NOT the World Famous Fokker DR.I but the two-seater Albatros C.III. At first i seemed that Manfred was not a natural aviator. Infact, he was considered to be a below average pilot by his flight instructors. He struggled to control his aircraft and crashed the very first time he took the controls. That’s not a very good start for a fighter pilot. Especially, for the LEGENDARY Manfred von Richthofen!

Dogfight – The Mystery of the Red Baron (Full Documentary) – Timeline

You would think this would deter Manfred but it had the opposite effect on him. He became a more astute pilot and worked even harder to master the skills it would take to eventually become the fighter pilot history knows all to well. The “LEGENDARY” Red Baron! It wouldn’t be long until Manfred would get his chance. Within just 60 days from Manfred’s first day at Fliegertruppe, he would be sent into battle for the very first time. Well, in an airplane anyways!

It was April 26, 1916 when Manfred von Richthofen was flying over the Verdun when he spotted a French Nieuport. The moment of truth arrived so Manfred engaged the enemy without any hesitation quickly gaining the advantage. Once Manfred was in shooting range he blasted away hitting the French Nieuport and shooting her down over Fort Douaumont. For some reason lost to history, Manfred never did get credit for his first official air victory.

The Red Baron’s Final Flight!

The Red Baron flew into the history books in just three short years. He became a legend while he was still alive! Tragically, just after 11:00 am on April 21, 1918, Manfred was flying over Morlancourt Ridge near the Somme River when his cousin Lt. Wolfram von Richthofen was fired upon by a Sopwith Camel piloted by novice Canadian pilot Lieutenant Wilfrid “Wop” May of No. 209 Squadron, Royal Air Force. The Baron quickly gave chase and forced May to counter with evasive maneuvers.

It was at this exact moment that flight commander, Canadian Captain Arthur “Roy” Brown engaged the Baron and fired on him. It’s not known whether Brown shot the Baron or if it was from ground fire. Manfred was struck in the heart by a single .303 bullet. Although Manfred von Richthofen’s death is shrouded in mystery, there is no doubt that The “LEGENDARY” Red Baron will live on forever! He is perhaps the MOST FAMOUS fighter pilot of all-time!

Fly The Fokker DR.1 NOW!

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Virtual Pilot 3D is an award winning flight simulation game that rivals popular flight simulator games such as Microsoft Flight Simulator and X-Plane. Although those incredible flight simulator games are GREAT! Virtual Pilot 3D is far better than they are and has a six year track record to prove it! Virtual Pilot 3D is definitely the GREATEST flight simulator game of all-time and it just keeps getting better and better!

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Eurofighter

The first prototype of the Eurofighter Typhoon made its first flight on August 6, 1986. This was a technology demonstration aircraft built by the British Aerospace EAP. Early test flights were successful and exceeded all operational requirements to be a great air superiority fighter. The Eurofighter would become the largest multinational collaboration project ever assembled by France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

The first prototype of the finalized Eurofighter Typhoon made its first flight on March 27, 1994 and flew flawlessly during her test flights. She was originally designed to be an air superiority fighter that is extremely agile. The Typhoon was specifically designed to be a supremely effective dogfighter in combat. This AMAZING airplane is one of the BEST front line fighter planes in the world today!

On January 30, 1998, the very first production contract was signed between Eurofighter GmbH, Eurojet and NETMA. The first Air Force’s in Europe to receive Typhoons were Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. The procurement totals were as follows: Germany 180, Italy 121, Spain 87 and UK 232. On August 4, 2003, the first Eurofighter Typhoons went into service and Germany received the very first series production Eurofighter (GT003).

In 2003, Spain also took delivery of its first series production aircraft and became the second Air Force in Europe to receive Typhoons. Unfortunately, soon after the Spanish Air Force had a training accident near Otepää in Estonia. The pilot inadvertently released a AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile which either self-destructed in air or landing somewhere unexploded. There were no human casualties and the AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile was never found.

On December 16, 2005, the European Typhoon reached initial operational capability (IOC) with the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare). Italy became the third country in Europe to have operational Typhoons with the UK becoming fourth country in Europe on August 9, 2007. The Austrian government announced its decision to buy the Eurofighter Typhoon on July 2, 2002. The purchase included 18 Typhoons, logistics, maintenance, training and a Eurofighter Flight Simulator.

Eurofighter Typhoon

The Eurofighter Typhoon has an intentionally relaxed stability design making the Typhoon a very agile aircraft at both low and supersonic speeds. This INCREDIBLE aircraft will give any fighter plane in the world a run for its money. That includes 5th generation and stealth fighter planes as well. In the right pilots hands, the MIGHTY Typhoon is DEADLY and feared by her enemies!

Looking at the Eurofighter Typhoon is like looking at fine art in a museum. She is a beautiful airplane that looks like something out of the future. The Eurofighter Typhoon is the MOST ADVNCED fighter plane ever to fly for Europe. The Eurofighter was designed during the height of the Cold War in order to counter Russian fighter planes. Before the Eurofighter, Nato countries flew American made aircraft such as the F-16 fighting Falcon.

The Eurofighter first entered service in Europe on August 4, 2003 and is still in service today. Since the Eurofighter entered service, there have been 623 Typhoons built with many more to come. The Eurofighter is so advanced and ahead of its time that it will be Europe’s frontline fighter for many decades to come. She is designed to adapt to latest technologies and can be easily refitted with the latest weapons systems and avionics.

Eurofighter Production

Each Eurofighter Typhoon costs €90 million Euros ($102,821,850.00 US Dollars) system cost Tranche 3A, £125 million Pound sterling ($158,202,500.00 US Dollars) including development plus production costs. The primary users are the Royal Air Force (UK), German Air Force, Italian Air Force and Spanish Air Force. The Eurofighter Typhoon is unique in modern combat aircraft in that there are four separate assembly lines.

Eurofighter Top Speed

The Eurofighter Top Speed is 1,550 mph which is Mach 2.02 or in more simpler terms, “Twice The Speed Of Sound”. The Typhoon has a range of 3790.005 Kilometers (2,355 Miles) which can cover the entire continent of Europe. With her superior speed, she can outrun most frontline fighters and out maneuver them even at high speeds. This is one of the most maneuverable airplanes ever built and designed to dominate its opponent in a dogfight.

You can have the most beautiful airplane in the world with the deadliest and most advanced systems ever devoted for combat. However, the most important part of an airplane is its power plant and what a power plant the Eurofighter Typhoon has under the hood. This particular engine is as advanced as the Eurofighters design and is the perfect power plant for this incredible machine. It is this power plant that makes the Eurofighter so deadly!

The Eurofighter Typhoon is fitted with two Eurojet EJ200 engines. These engines are capable of providing up to 60 kN (13,500 lbf) of dry thrust and >90 kN (20,230 lbf) with afterburners. You can take a look at one the Eurojet EJ200 engines in the photograph below. The Eurojet EJ200 engine is capable of supersonic cruise without using afterburners (Supercruise). This is an an advantage over most of its counterparts.

Only 5th generation fighters such as the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lighting are capable of supersonic cruise without using afterburners. One advantage the Eurofighter has over the F-22 is that it can launch weapons while under supercruise to extend their ranges. The EJ200 engine has the potential to be fitted with Thrust Vectoring Nozzles (TVN). This would make the Eurofighter Typhoon insanely maneuverable. She already possess SUPERIOR agility!

Eurofighter Cockpit

You can’t talk about this AWESOME airplane unless you talk about the Eurofighter Cockpit. This is where all the magic happens and is the core of the Eurofighter Typhoon. The Eurofighter Cockpit is every fighter pilots dream and is where the present day meets the future. Pilots access the cockpit by either a telescopic integral ladder or an external version of the ladder. The integral ladder is stowed in the port side of the fuselage just below the cockpit.

Once inside the cockpit, the pilot will see a glass cockpit without any conventional instruments. The Eurofighter Cockpit features three full colour multi-function head-down displays (MHDDs). All formats on each display are manipulated by means of XY cursor, soft-keys and voice Direct Voice Input or (DVI Command). She also features a voice and hands-on throttle and stick (Voice+HOTAS) plus a wide angle heads-up display (HUD) with forward-looking infrared (FLIR).

The Eurofighter Typhoon features the Direct Voice Input (DVI) system that uses a speech recognition module (SRM). The DVI provides the pilot with an additional natural mode of command and control and approximately 26 non-critical cockpit functions. This reduces the pilot workload that will enhance aircraft safety while expanding mission capabilities at the same time.

The Eurofighter Typhoon can use its Instrument Landing System (ILS) for landing in poor weather. This aircraft also features an enhanced ground proximity warning system (GPWS) and is based on the TERPROM Terrain Referenced Navigation (TRN) system used by the Panavia Tornado. This is just a fraction of the avionics and controls featured inside the Eurofighter Typhoon and why the Eurofighter Cockpit is ahead of its time!

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So go ahead and grab some popcorn and enjoy the flight! This is the closest thing to flying the real thing so you’re going to absolutely love it! I really hope your enjoyed your flight and your feet are safely back on the ground. What an incredible feeling it must be to fly one of those things and to think it’s just another day at the office for those guys.

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Eurofighter Flight Simulator!

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The Hindenburg

On May 3, 1937, The Hindenburg departed from Frankfurt, Germany to Lakehurst, New Jersey its first scheduled round trip between Europe and North America of the season. Even though there were strong headwinds slowing the Hindenburg’s Atlantic crossing, it was still a routine flight as it approached Lakehurst, New Jersey for a landing three days later.

Just before the LZ 129 Hindenburg made her final approach into Lakehurst on May 6, 1937, there was a severe line of thunderstorms approaching the area. The Hindenburg’s arrival was delayed for several hours as a safety precaution while the thunderstorms passed through the area. At approximately 7 PM Eastern Standard Time, Captain Max Pruss in command of The Hindenburg was cleared for the final approach into the Naval Air Station in Lakehurst.

She slowly made her final approach into NAS Lakehurst at an altitude of 650 ft (200 m) with Captain Max Pruss at the controls. At approximately 7:21 PM Eastern Standard Time, a pair of landing lines were dropped from the nose of The Hindenburg. The landing lines were grabbed by ground handlers to secure the airship. Approximately 4 minutes later, at 7:25 PM Eastern Standard Time. The Hindenburg suddenly exploded and was engulfed in flames as she plummeted to the ground.

It only took a little more than thirty seconds for The Hindenburg to be fully engulfed in flames. This horrible tragedy was over almost as quickly as it started. The Hindenburg disaster was magnified because she was using hydrogen gas which is highly flammable for lift instead of the non-flammable gas helium. The silvery cloth covering The Hindenburg contained material which included cellulose nitrate which is also extremely flammable.

The use of hydrogen gas and the flammable cloth material contributed to this historic disaster. There were 36 passengers and 61 crew aboard The Hindenburg. Incredibly, only 13 passengers, 22 crew and one member of the ground crew were killed. In all, 36 people were killed in The Hindenburg disaster. It is AMAZING that more people weren’t killed on that fateful day. The exact cause of The Hindenburg disaster still remains a mystery today!

LZ 129 Hindenburg

The LZ 129 Hindenburg (Registration: D-LZ 129; Luftschiff Zeppelin #129) and the lead ship of the Hindenburg class. She was a HUGE German commercial passenger-carrying rigid airship and made a total of 63 flight from 1936–37. The Hindenburg was built and designed by the Zeppelin Company (Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH) on the shores of Lake Constance in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

The Hindenburg was to be approximately 803 ft 10 in (245 m) long and 135.1 ft 0 in (41.2 m) in diameter. Her Power-plant were 4 Daimler-Benz DB 602 (LOF-6) diesel engines with 890 kW (1,200 hp) each. She carried a crew of 40 to 61 and could accommodate 50–70 passengers. The Hindenburg’s performance was also impressive as well! She had a maximum speed of 85 mph (135 km/h) and could make an Atlantic crossing in just 3 days time.

This AMAZING airship was a true marvel of engineering and state-of-the-art technology in 1937. Just imagine what it would be like to see an airship the size of The Hindenburg flying overhead. Most of you have seen a Goodyear Blimp and you know those airships are huge and impressive in their own right. The Goodyear Blimp is less than one fourth the size of The Hindenburg! She is 192 ft (58.5 m) long. You could just imagine the enormous size of The Hindenburg!

The largest airships ever built were the two Hindenburg-class airships built by the Zeppelin Company. The two airships were the (LZ 129) and the (LZ 130). These airships were built to an all-duralumin design and was originally designed for helium, heavier than hydrogen but nonflammable. She would later be designed for hydrogen because the United States would not sell helium to Germany. This would be one of the many contributing factors to The Hindenburg Disaster on May 6, 1937.

Hindenburg Interior

We’ll start our Hindenburg Interior tour with the Control Car where the Hindenburg is controlled from. The Hindenburg Control Room with Ludwig Felber at helm with possibly Knut Eckener to his right. The ballast board is located far left with the rudder station and gyro compass repeater. Off to the right is the eyepiece of a drift measuring telescope and to the right of that is the altimeter, the engine telegraph, speaking tube, engine instruments and axial corridor with a variometer to the far right.

The interior of the Hindenburg was even more impressive than the airship itself and rivaled luxury liners like the Titanic. This was true luxury flying at its best and must have been the ultimate traveling experience at that time. A one way was ticket cost around $400 USD which was a fortune in 1937 but you are flying in complete luxury. A roundtrip ticket cost $720 USD which was about the same price as an automobile at that time.

As you can see by the color Hindenburg Interior photos, you got what you paid for. The image above is from The Hindenburg’s dining room with the world map on the wall. The chairs were comfortable and the dining room was large enough to accomodate 50 to 70 passengers comfortably. There was plenty of elbow room for all the passengers and crew aboard The Hindenburg. She was designed to be the most luxurious airship in the skies and she was.

Flying over the Atlantic Ocean usually took 3 days so the passengers and crew needed sleeping quarters. There were 25 double-berthed cabins at the center of A Deck and 9 more double-berthed cabins on B Deck. Each cabin measured approximately 78″ x 66″ and the doors and walls were made of a thin layer of lightweight foam covered by fabric. The Cabins were decorated in one of three color schemes. They were Cabins were decorated in one of three color schemes which were grey, beige or light blue.

Just like a luxury liner, The Hindenburg featured Promenades On either side of A Deck. The promenades featured seating areas with large windows that could be opened during flight. The Hindenburg also had a writing room which featured paintings by Otto Arpke depicting scenes from all around the world. The small writing room was located right next to the lounge and waiting room area. Believe or not, there was even a smoking room aboard as well.

Hindenburg Disaster

Below is the MOST FAMOUS Hindenburg Disaster image of all-time! This historic photo was taken at approximately 7:25 PM Eastern Standard Time at Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, New Jersey. The reason why this colorized photo looks familiar to most of you is because this iconic image has been used in appearances in media over the decades. An illustration of this image was used for the 1975 Hollywood blockbuster film, “The Hindenburg”.

The famous image of the burning Hindenburg was used as the cover of Led Zeppelin’s self-titled debut album January 12, 1969. Led Zeppelin chose this image for their album cover because the band was not expected to do well. They were expected to crash and burn just like the Hindenburg but history shows that Led Zeppelin became the GREATEST rock and roll band of all-time! There have been other uses of this photo in countless books and magazines over the years as well.

You are looking at another colorized image of The Hindenburg Disaster. This particular photo was taken from the original Hindenburg Disaster film and colorized. It only took approximately 30 seconds or less from the time The Hindenburg exploded to the frame this image was taken from the film. If you look closely, you can clearly see people running from the disaster as The Hindenburg falls to the ground. Colorizing these photos bring The Hindenburg Disaster to life!

The Hindenburg Disaster would be the LAST GREAT airship disaster of the 20th century. It would also be the end of an era! Luxury airship travel would go down in flames with The Hindenburg. It wasn’t just the disaster that ended airship travel but an improvement in aviation as well. It was no longer feasible to build enormous airships for air travel so the golden age of large German commercial passenger-carrying rigid airships was over!

Mega Disasters – The Hindenburg

The Hindenburg Disaster destroyed a true modern marvel of German engineering and proved that no matter how far advanced man’s technology becomes, a MEGA disaster could be just seconds away. For years, historians and engineers have tried to figure out exactly what happened on that fateful day in 1937. Even though The Hindenburg Disaster still remains a mystery, there’s a lot that we do know.

Their have been many theories as to what happened and one particular theory has gained some traction. So much so that there were two motion pictures based on this theory. I already mentioned one film earlier named The Hindenburg released in 1975 and the pilot episode of the NBC series Timeless uses the Hindenburg as the first destination of the Time Team. Both films uses a fictional storyline that hints at sabotage.

Although the sabotage theory has never been proven, most historians believe sabotage was the cause of the disaster. At the time, Nazi Germany was in political turmoil and it was thought that enemies of the Nazi regime planted a timed bomb onboard The Hindenburg. She was the pride and joy of Germany so destroying The Hindenburg would make a great target for Hitler’s enemies. Another hypothesis often involves a combination of leaking gas and atmospheric static conditions known as St. Elmo’s fire.

St. Elmo’s fire (also known as St. Elmo’s light) is a weather phenomenon which luminous plasma is created by a coronal discharge from a sharp or pointed object in a strong electric field such as a thunderstorm. The luminous plasma coronal discharge is often seen as a bluish or other color glow. These are just two of the numerous theories over the years that have never been proven. Regardless of what caused The Hindenburg Disaster, she is one of the GREATEST engineering feats in aviation history!

Fly The Hindenburg In A Real Zeppelin Flight Simulator!

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This is flying the way it’s supposed to be and the BEST flight simulator game on the market today! Virtual Pilot 3D rivals other flight simulator games like Microsoft Flight Simulator and Flight Simulator X. Those flight simulator games are considered the top flight sims money can buy but Virtual Pilot 3D is lightyears ahead of the competition. Those flight simulator games are GREAT but Virtual Pilot 3D is even better!

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F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter

The F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter was made famous for its role during the Persian Gulf War in 1991. She was the aircraft that fired the first shots of Desert Storm and lead the way into the most heavily defended city in the world at that time, Baghdad. With her stealth technology, she was easily able to penetrate enemy airspace undetected and strike her targets with laser like precision.

On the first night of the war, it was reported that the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk hit 80% of their designated targets with zero combat losses. Later reports were scaled back to a 41–60% success rate which is still pretty impressive. The F-117 was the only aircraft that the coalition would risk over Baghdad because it was so heavily defended. Most of the optically aimed AAA and infra-red SAMs were located on the outskirts of the city making it possible for other aircraft to hit targets inside the downtown Baghdad area.

F-117 Nighthawk – Wings Over the Gulf: First Strike Part (2/4)

During the Gulf War in 1991, the F-117 logged in approximately 6,905 flight hours scoring direct hits on 1,600 high-value targets while flying 1,300 sorties in Iraq. She carried 500-2000 pound laser-guided bombs designed for hardened targets such as underground bunkers and aircraft hangers. Although the F-117 is designated “F” for fighter, she is a ground attack aircraft only and NOT a dogfighter.

The F-117 was specifically designed to be the world’s first invisible plane and defeat any enemy radar system. It is her unique design that made her stealth capabilities possible. Stealth technology has its advantages and disadvantages such as sacrificing performance for stealth. The F-117 Stealth Fighter is a ground attack aircraft that is NOT very maneuverable because of a high sweep wing angle of 50° degrees needed to deflect incoming radar waves.

Another disadvantage to stealth technology is the F-117’s speed and performance. This is due to lower engine thrust and losses in the inlet and outlet, a very low wing aspect ratio and a high sweep wing angle of 50° degrees as mentioned earlier. Because of these design considerations and no afterburner, the F-117 Nighthawk is limited to subsonic speeds. It is this revolutionary design that gives the F-117 a radar cross-section of about 0.001 m2 (0.0108 sq ft), which is about the size of a small bird on a radar screen.

Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk

The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was proposed by Skunk Works Director Kelly Johnson and his assistant Ben Rich. In the early 1970’s the United States Air Force (USAF) approached Lockheed with a stealth concept for a first strike aircraft. Kelly Johnson proposed a rounded design which he believed the smoothly blended shapes offered the best combination of stealth and speed.

Kelly’s assistant Ben Rich, proposed faceted-angle surfaces which he believed would provide significant reduction in radar signature and that necessary aerodynamic control could be easily provided with computer units. In May 1975, a Skunk Works report titled “Progress Report No. 2, High Stealth Conceptual Studies” showed why the rounded concept was rejected in favor of the flat-sided design proposed by Ben Rich. Although both concepts were revolutionary, the flat-sided design proved to be stealthier.

This highly unusual design makes the F-117 Nighthawk aerodynamically unstable in all three aircraft principal axes. Constant flight corrections need to be made by a fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system to maintain controlled flight. Without this state-of-the-art fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system. It would be impossible for pilots to fly the F-117. The F-117 is just too aerodynamically unstable!

Experienced fighter pilots were both shocked and amazed at the unusual design of the F-117 Nighthawk. One pilot was quoted as saying that stated that when he first saw a photograph of the F-117 Nighthawk, he promptly laughed and thought to himself that the F-117 clearly can’t fly. He was right in a sense because early stealth aircraft such as the F-117 were specifically designed for minimal radar cross-section (RCS) rather than aerodynamic performance.

On June 18, 1981, the first YF-117A, serial number 79-0780, made its maiden flight from Groom Lake (Area 51), Nevada. That’s only 31 months after the full-scale development decision was made. The first production F-117A was delivered in 1982 and operational capability was achieved in October 1983. The F-117A Nighthawk 4450th Tactical Group would be stationed at Nellis AFB, Nevada.

F-117 Top Speed

The F-117 Top Speed is a modest Mach 0.92 (617 mph, 993 km/h) which is its maximum speed and cruise speed is at Mach 0.92. Because of the F-117’s design, she is not capable of super-sonic speeds. However, the F-117 Nighthawk’s lack of speed makes up for her invisibility to radar. Early stealth fighter designs were all about stealth, not aircraft performance.

The F-117 Nighthawk’s power-plant are 2 General Electric F404-F1D2 turbofans with 10,600 lbf (48.0 kN) each. She has a range of 930 nmi (1720 km) and a service ceiling of 45,000 ft (13,716 m). Wing loading is 67.3 lb/ft² (329 kg/m²) and the thrust to weight ratio is 0.40. The General Electric F404-F1D2 turbofans were a perfect fit for the F-117 Nighthawk and gave her maximum performance in spite of her unusual aerodynamic design.

In the early 1990’s, Lockheed proposed a new variant of the F-117 Nighthawk for the United States Navy (USN). This new variant would be suitable for carrier use and was dubbed the F-117N “Seahawk”. However, the United States Navy had no interest in the single mission capabilities of the F-117N “Seahawk”. The F-117N “Seahawk” would have differed from the F-117A Nighthawk in many different ways. The new variant would include a bubble canopy, reconfigured tail, a less sharply swept wing and elevators.

After the Navy shot down the F-117N “Seahawk” proposal, Lockheed submitted an updated proposal that included an a larger emphasis on the F-117N as a multi-role aircraft rather than just an attack aircraft. The new F-117B was a land-based variant that featured all of the F-117N capabilities. This variant was proposed to the United States Air Force (USAF) and the Royal Air Force (RAF).

The renewed F-117N proposal was also known as the A/F-117X. The F-117N nor the F-117B were ordered by the Royal Air Force (RAF) or the United States Air Force (USAF). These aircraft could be fitted with a new ground-attack radar system with air-to-air capability. She also featured optional hard-points allowing for an additional 8,000 lbs (3,600 kg) of payload. In this new role, the F-117N “Seahawk” and F-117B could carry AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles.

F-117 Cockpit

The F-117 Cockpit was very spacious for pilots compared to traditional fighter planes. She featured ergonomic displays and controls making the pilots job so much easier with everything at their fingertips. One of the problems pilots faced was their limited field of view. It was somewhat obstructed by the design of the canopy with a gigantic blind spot in the rear. Since the F-117 Nighthawk was an attack aircraft and not a dogfighter, the lack of visibility was not a huge problem for pilots.

The avionics inside the F-117 Nighthawk were state-of-the-art at that time and the core of this magnificent aircraft. Even though she featured stealth technology to evade enemy radar, she relied on her quadruple-redundant fly-by-wire flight controls, sophisticated navigation and attack systems integrated into a digital avionics suite. No other aircraft in the world at that time featured an avionics package like this!

Take a look at the F117 Cockpit photo below and see what it looks like from a fighter pilots point of view. As you can see, the F117 Cockpit is roomier and the ergonomic displays and controls are right in front of the pilot. Just like other fighter planes, the control stick is right in between the fighter pilots legs with the throttle on the left. This cockpit configuration was extremely efficient for pilots and relatively comfortable on long flights as well.

The F-117 Nighthawk’s sophisticated navigation and attack systems navigate primarily by using GPS and high-accuracy inertial navigation. All F-117 Nighthawk missions are coordinated by an automated planning system. This automated planning system can automatically perform all aspects of an attack mission including weapons release and safely return to base. The F-117 Nighthawk could technically fly a mission without a pilot in command!

11 Little Known Facts About The F-117 Nighthawk – F-117 Is Still Flying

The Amazing Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk was a flying legend during her time and exceeded all expectations when the moment of truth arrived. She performed flawlessly in combat and proved to be the most valuable asset in the United Air Force’s inventory. Even though she wasn’t very fast, she was nearly invisible to radar making her the world’s first stealth fighter to enter service. She has paved the way for a new generation of stealth fighters with unimaginable capabilities.

There were a total of 64 F-117 Stealth Fighters built, 5 YF-117As and 59 F-117As. The F-117 Nighthawk exclusively saw service with the United States Air Force (USAF). The Royal Air Force (RAF) was offered to buy the F-117 Nighthawk during the Reagan administration but declined for reasons unknown. Each F-117 Nighthawk cost approximately $42.6 million USD (flyaway cost) and $111.2 million USD (average cost).

A Flyaway cost is the basic cost of production including the tools to make the aircraft. It does not take into account research and development and supplementary costs for support equipment, avionics and weapons systems. The F-117 Nighthawk developed from the Lockheed Have Blue program. The F-117 Nighthawk first entered service in October of 1983 and was retired on April 22, 2008 when she took her last flight.

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Bell UH-1 Huey Helicopter

The Bell UH-1 Huey Helicopter was the workhorse during the US involvement in Southeast Asia and Vietnam. Because of that conflict, the Bell UH-1 Huey has become one of the world’s most famous and recognized helicopters. One other trait that is unique to the Huey is the unmistakable sound she makes.

No other aircraft on this planet sounds quite like a Bell UH-1 Iroquois. It sounds like thunder from above as she passes overhead. This sound was welcomed by US troops and feared by the Vietcong. The Vietnam War would also be known as the “Helicopter War” because this would be the first time in the history of warfare that the helicopter would be used in such a wide variety of roles.

UH-1 Huey’s tasked with armed escort or ground attack were fitted with grenade launchers, rocket launchers and machine guns. In early 1962, UH-1 Huey’s were modified by local companies assigned to them who made their own mounting systems. During the Vietnam War, the UH-1 was used for a variety of purposes and various terms were given for these tasks. Gunship UH-1 Huey’s were commonly referred to as “Cobras” or simply “Guns” if they had guns and “Hogs” or “Frogs” if they carried rockets.

Huey’s also flew “Hunter-Killer” teams with observation helicopters. These were the Hughes OH-6 Cayuse (Loach) and the Bell OH-58A Kiowa. Towards the end of the Vietnam War, the UH-1 Huey was tested with TOW missiles and two UH-1B helicopters were equipped with the XM26 Armament Subsystem which were deployed to help counter the 1972 Easter Invasion by the Vietcong. James P. Fleming, a USAF Lieutenant piloted a UH-1F Huey on a November 26, 1968 mission that would earn him the Medal of Honor.

The HU-1A Iroquois (later re-designated UH-1A Iroquois) first entered service with the 57th Medical Detachment, the 82nd Airborne Division and the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Even though the UH-1A Iroquois was intended for evaluation only, the US Army immediately entered the brand new helicopter into operational service. The first Hueys arrived in Vietnam in March 1962 with the 57th Medical Detachment.

Bell UH-1 Iroquois

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois nicknamed the (“Huey”) is a utility US military helicopter with two-blade main and tail rotors and is powered by a single turboshaft engine. Bell Helicopter was the manufacturer and built 16,000 Huey’s from 1956 thru 1987. Her first flight (XH-40) was on October 20, 1956 and she entered service with the United States Army in 1959. The Bell UH-1 Huey is still in service today!

She still flies for all branches of the US Military and currently in service for 10 other militaries around the world. These militaries are Argentine Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, El Salvador Air Force, German military (Bundeswehr), Israeli Air Force, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, Lebanese Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, Philippine Air Force and the Rhodesian Air Force.

All aircraft in the UH-1 family are similarly constructed. The UH-1H (Huey) is the most-produced version and is the most representative of all types. Its main structure consist of two lengthways main beams that run directly under the passenger cabin to the nose and to the tail boom attachment point. These main beams are separated by transverse bulkheads but do provide the supporting structure for the landing gear, engine, transmission, tail boom, under-floor fuel tanks and the cabin.

Both main beams are joined at the lift beam with a short aluminum girder structure that is attached to the transmission with a lift link on the top and the cargo hook on the bottom which is located at the aircraft’s center of gravity. These lift beams were eventually changed to steel later on during the UH-1H’s service life. This was due to cracking on high-time airframes where the semi-monocoque tail boom attaches to the fuselage with four bolts. These cracks created a weak point that could lead to catastrophic failure.

The UH-1H’s most dynamic components are the main rotor blades, engine, rotor mast, transmission, tail rotor driveshaft plus the 90-degree and 42-degree gearboxes. The UH-1H’s transmission is of a planetary design which does reduce the engine’s output to approximately 324 rpm at the main rotor. This is a two-bladed semi-rigid rotor design with pre-coned and underslung blades which was an early development of Bell model designs such as the Bell 47 for example.

UH-1 Huey Vietnam

The UH-1 Huey Vietnam connection will be forever etched in stone in the history books. You can’t talk about the Vietnam War without the Bell UH-1 Huey entering in the conversation. It was this war that made the UH-1 Huey famous or was it the other way around? This war would be unlike any other in history where the battle lines were blurred or none at all.

Vietnam was jungle warfare at its worst for both machine and men. It would not be technology that would decide this conflict alone. You had gorilla tactics on one side with a war of annihilation strategy on the other. This was a brutal war where there seemed to be no clear rules of engagement with politicians calling the shots. However, this did not diminish the role the legendary Huey would play and would forever change the ways wars would be fought forever.

Before the Vietnam War, helicopters played a marginal role in past conflicts only transporting wounded back to field hospitals. Helicopters did not serve in World War II because the war ended before they could enter service. Another conflict would come along a few short years later in Korea where the helicopter would make its combat debut. The helicopter proved to be a capable aircraft and saved a lot of lives during the war.

The Helicopter drastically expanded its role in Vietnam from transporting wounded to field hospitals to seek and destroy missions and everything in between. Fixed wing aircraft are great and can perform a variety of roles but the helicopter can do things those amazing aircraft can’t. For example, Huey’s were used for extracting downed pilots in the jungle along with picking up soldiers during firefights. Its ability to hover and take small arms fire is unprecedented.

There were approximately 11,835 U.S helicopters that served during the Vietnam War with U.S records showing that 5,607 helicopter were shot down. Bell UH-1 Hueys were used for just about everything from ferrying soldiers to the battlefield to ferrying the wounded out of hot zones. She was used for search and destroy missions as well as search and rescue too! The UH-1 Huey was definitely the backbone of the Vietnam War which will forever be known as the “Helicopter War”.

Bell UH-1 Helicopter Cockpit

You are looking at the Bell UH-1 Helicopter Cockpit where the plot and co-pilot are seated. As you can see that the pilot has an extraordinary field of vision in all directions because of the windowed cockpit design. However, the windowed cockpit design was vulnerable to small arms fire making it dangerous for pilots. After all, UH-1 Huey’s were in the thick of it all during the war. These birds and their brave pilots saved lots of lives!

Entering the cockpit of a Huey is sort of like getting in your car to get to work in the morning. There are two hinged doors on both sides of the aircraft that open and close similar to your car doors. The cabin which is directly behind the cockpit featured a large sliding windowed door on either side of the fuselage. This provided easy access for soldiers (in most Vietnam-era pictures, these doors are almost always with a machine gunner).

Here’s a great view of the Huey’s large cabin space, the Huey was specifically designed to carry as many occupants as possible. 14 combat-ready troops could comfortably fit inside a Huey up to 6 medical litters while in the Medevac role. A typical UH-1 Huey crew could have 1 to 4 personnel as needed and it depended on what the mission was as well. There were some missions that only required a skeleton crew or sometimes just the pilot.

As you can see in the photo above, the UH-1 Huey’s airframe was a highly adaptable platform throughout its service during the Vietnam War. This was particularly clear when a Huey’s were used as gunships during search and destroy missions. Standard armaments for the UH-1 Huey included pintle-mounted M60 7.62mm machine guns or sometimes they would use specialized external mountings for the dual 7.62mm miniguns.

Restored Vietnam UH-1H Bell Huey First Flights HD – MUST SEE Video!

The maximum seating arrangement for a UH-1 Huey consists of a four-man bench seat facing rearwards behind the 2 pilot seats. Facing a five-man bench seat in front of the transmission structure with two additional two-man bench seats facing outwards from the transmission structure on both sides of the helicopter. All passenger seats are constructed out of aluminum tube frames. Canvas material is used for the seats that can be quickly removed and reconfigured.

The Huey’s large cabin can be configured to accommodate up to six stretchers including an internal rescue hoist with auxiliary fuel tanks, spotlights and many, many other mission kits. Getting access to the cabin is easy via two aft-sliding doors and two small forward-hinged panels. Theses doors and hinged panels were often removed during flight or they could pin the doors open as well. As mentioned earlier, pilot access was through the hinged doors.

The Bell UH-1 Huey was equipped with five main fuel tanks that are self-sealing. However, the UH-1H Huey was not equipped with factory armor making her vulnerable to small arms fire. Armored pilot seats were available for the UH-1 Huey. The UH-1H Huey’s dual control system is conventional for a helicopter and consist of a single hydraulic system boosting the cyclic stick collective lever and the anti-torque pedals as well.

The Uh-1 Huey’s collective levers do have integral throttles even though these are not used to control rotor rpm which is automatically governed. I can get into a whole lot more technical detail but I’m sure I’ll bore you. This is just the tip of the iceberg! However, there’s a better way to learn more about the Huey, WAY BETTER! How would you like to fly a real-life Bell UH-1 Huey Helicopter? You are moments away from a helicopter simulation experience like no other online!

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Introducing Virtual Pilot 3D, The World’s MOST REALISTIC Flight Simulator Game! Everything you could expect in a simulation game is found inside Virtual Pilot 3D! Fly the Bell UH-1 Huey Helicopter and see what it was really like flying over the Jungles of Vietnam. The BEST part is, the UH-1 Huey is ONLY 1 of 200 plus aircraft to choose from!

You can fly the 1903 Wright Flyer or the Space Shuttle Atlantis and everything in between. Virtual Pilot 3D is a whole lot more than just a flight simulator game. It’s also a space flight simulator too and can be used as a flight training tool for student pilots because Virtual Pilot 3D is FAA approved! There is a word of caution, Virtual Pilot 3D is as REALISTIC as it gets so I hope you don’t get airsick!

All right pilot! I’m sure you’re ready to do some real-life flying NOW! Go ahead and click on the orange button below to fly the Bell UH-1 Huey Helicopter and experience what it was like to fly this magnificent bird over Vietnam or anywhere else in the world. This is NOT your daddy’s helicopter flight simulator game so buckle up your seat-belts and get ready for a kick-ass ride pilot!

F-22 Raptor Fighter Jet

The F-22 Raptor Fighter Jet was designed to be primarily an air superiority fighter. The F-22 also has electronic warfare, signal intelligence and ground attack capabilities. She also possesses unprecedented air combat capabilities and is considered to be the “ULTIMATE” dogfighter. When the F-22 Raptor was first introduced, the USAF stated that the F-22A was unmatched by any projected or known fighter.

The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation, twin-engine, single-seat, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). In December 2005, the F-22 Raptor formally entered service as the F-22A. The F-22 Raptor’s combination of aerodynamic performance, situational awareness and stealth gives her superior air combat capabilities.

Even though the F-22 Raptor is designated as a fifth-generation fighter. The USAF consider the F-22 a fourth-generation fighter in stealth aircraft technology. What makes the Raptor so special is she is the first operational aircraft to combine stealth, sensor fusion, superior-maneuverability and super-cruise in a single weapons platform. The F-22 is designed for 8,000 flight hours and a lifespan of 30 years with a $100 million “Structures Retrofit Program”.

The USAF’s long term plan is for the F-22 to be replaced by a sixth-generation jet fighter sometime in the 2030’s. There are preparations by the USAF being made for upgrades to F-22 that will extend their service into the 2030’s and beyond. You can expect to see the F-22A Raptor in service for the next 30 to 40 years. This AMAZING fighter plane is generations ahead of her time and the new standard for the USAF.

The F-22A Raptor has retractable tricycle landing gear, four empennage surfaces and clipped delta wings with a reverse sweep on the rear. All flight control surfaces include ailerons, rudders on the canted vertical stabilizers, flaperons, leading-edge flaps and all-moving horizontal tails. These controls surfaces also serve as speed brakes for the F-22 as well. This is what makes the F-22 extremely maneuverable at both subsonic and supersonic speeds.

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor

The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor was designed to be extremely hard to detect and tracked on radar. Lots of extreme measures were taken to reduce radar cross-section which include fixed-geometry serpentine inlets that prevent line-of-sight of the engine faces from any exterior angle, special airframe shaping such as alignment of edges and the use of a top-secret radar-absorbent material (RAM).

The AMAZING F-22A Raptor was also designed to have a decreased infrared signature, acoustic signature, radio emissions and reduced visibility to the naked eye. While designing the F-22, the engineers addressed every little detail such as pilot helmets and exterior hinges that could provide a radar return. This was truly the first air superiority fighter plane that was designed to be completely invisible to enemy radar.

Although the F-117 Nighthawk was the first stealth fighter plane to enter service. The F-117 was NOT an air superiority fighter and only designed for ground attack missions. She was also NOT capable of supersonic fight and not maneuverable enough to be a dogfighter. These are some of the reasons why the F-22 was developed and rushed into service on December 15, 2005. The F-22A went into production in 1996 and made its first flight on September 7, 1997.

The origin of the F-22 Raptor program began way back in 1981, the U.S. Air Force saw a need for an Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) as a new generation air superiority fighter to replace the aging F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-15 Eagle. The U.S. Air Force’s new program was code named “Senior Sky”. This “Senior Sky” program was born due to emerging worldwide threats which were the development and proliferation of the Soviet MiG-29 Fulcrum and the Su-27 Flanker class fighter aircraft.

F-22 Raptor Cost Per Plane

The F-22 Raptor Cost Per Plane is $150 million (USD) flyaway cost for fiscal year (FY) 2009. The entire F-22 Raptor program cost is approximately $66.7 billion (USD) as of fiscal year (FY) 2011. This was the most expensive program in US history and money well spent! The F-22 Raptor is a BADASS plane and will dominate the skies for the foreseeable future.

Before the F-22 entered service in 2005 and throughout the 2000s, think tanks debated the need for F-22 Raptor’s due to rising costs and the lack of relevant adversaries. Early in 2006, Comptroller General of the United States David Walker found that the DoD had NOT demonstrated a need for more investment in the F-22 Raptor. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld expressed further opposition to the program along with Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon R. England.

Despite all the opposition, in 2008, Congress did pass a defense spending bill funding the F-22 Raptor’s continued production. The Pentagon released $50 million of the $140 million for four additional Raptor’s raising the total orders by the United States Air Force (USAF) for production aircraft to 187 and leaving the programs fate in the hands of the next incoming administration. The F-22 program did lose influential supporters in 2008.

This was due to the forced resignations of Chief of Staff of the Air Force General T. Michael Moseley and the Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stated in November of 2008 that the F-22 Raptor was no longer relevant in post-Cold War conflicts such as in Afghanistan and Iraq. The new Obama Administration in April of 2009, called for an end to F-22 production in fiscal year (FY) 2011. This left the USAF with a final total of 187 F-22 Raptor’s.

F-22 Raptor Cockpit

The F-22 Raptor Cockpit has a monochrome heads-up display that serves as a primary flight instrument and offers a wide field of view. Information is also displayed on six color liquid-crystal display (LCD) panels directly in front of the pilot. The F-22 also features a state-of-the-art glass cockpit with all-digital displays and flight instruments.

The primary flight controls for the F-22 Raptor are a pair of throttles and a force-sensitive side-stick controller. This makes controlling the F-22 Raptor a breeze for the pilots because of the positioning of the throttles and force-sensitive side-stick controller. The United Staes Air Force (USAF) did initially want to implement a direct voice input (DVI) controls system. However, this was thought to be technically risky and quickly abandoned by the USAF.

An integrated control panel (ICP) system for the F-22 features a keypad system for entering navigation, autopilot data and communications. There are two 3 × 4 inch (7.6 cm × 10.2 cm) up-front displays that are located around the integrated control panel (ICP). These are used to display communications, navigation, integrated caution warning/advisory data and identification (CNI) data. This also serves as the fuel quantity indicator and stand-by flight instrumentation group.

The stand-by flight group displays the artificial horizon for basic instrument meteorological conditions. In addition, the 8 × 8 inch (20 cm × 20 cm) primary multi-function display (PMFD) is located under the ICP. The primary multi-function display is used for situation assessment and navigation. There are three 6.25 × 6.25 inch (15.9 cm × 15.9 cm) secondary multi-function displays that are located around the PMFD for stores management and other important tactical information.

Why the F-22 Raptor Is Such a Badass Plane – Military Update

The F-22 originated from the YF-22 and was originally nicknamed the “Lightning II” after the legendary P-38 Lightning from World War II. She kept her unofficial nickname until the mid-1990s when the United States Air Force (USAF) officially re-named the aircraft “Raptor”. The nickname “Lightning II” was later assigned to the new F-35. The F-22 was also briefly named the Rapier” and “SuperStar” but is OFFICIALLY known as the Raptor today.

This airplane exceeded all design specifications and offers one of the most versatile airframes ever to fly. The F-22 is a huge leap in aviation technology and boasts unmatched air-combat capabilities. China and Russia also have fifth generation aircraft that are just as capable as the F-22 in many respects. However, the F-22 is still King of the skies for the foreseeable future. With technological advances in avionics and propulsion systems, the F-22 will only become deadlier.

The United States Air Force (USAF) drastically reduced operating costs and lengthened the F-22’s service life by using flight simulators to train their pilots. Flight Simulators have been used for decades by the world’s militaries to train their pilots. In fact, fighter pilots around the world are trained on flight simulators before they ever leave the ground. Today’s flight simulators are so ADVANCED, it will take your breath away!

These flight simulators are so realistic, they are GUARANTEED to fool your senses. Everything in flight can be replicated inside these military flight simulators. However, you don’t have to join the Air Force to fly a real-life F-22 Raptor. Well, let’s just say a virtual F-22 Raptor. You don’t know it yet but you’re moments away from getting instant access to The World’s “MOST REALISTIC” Flight Simulator Game ever created for a home PC.

Fly A REAL F-22 Flight Simulator!

How would you like to experience what it’s like to fly the MOST ADVANCED F-22 Flight Simulator online? This is unlike any other flight simulator game on the market and the BEST flight simulator you’ve never heard about before landing here today. That’s because this AWESOME flight sim can only be found online and is NOT available in stores.

This flight simulator game rivals other leading flight sim games such as Microsoft and Flight Simulator X. As good as those other flight simulator games are, Virtual Pilot 3D is even better! Virtual Pilot 3D has been an industry leader since it was first released way back in 2012. That’s an eternity in the gaming world and now you have an opportunity to fly this award winning flight simulator game from the comfort of your own home. This is flying the way it’s supposed to be!

Virtual Pilot 3D is NOT your daddy’s flight simulator game and is NOT for the faint of heart. Get ready for some high flying fun that is just as intense as real-life flying! If it’s in aviation, than it’s in this flight simulator game. This is a flying experience almost as good as the real thing, ALMOST! If you ever wanted to know what it’s really like to be a real-life pilot, now’s your chance! All you have to do is click on the orange button below and I’ll see you on the next page.

Once there, you will be introduced you to the World’s MOST REALISTIC flight simulator game, Virtual Pilot 3D. Then you’ll get to fly a real/virtual F-22 Raptor Fighter Jet! Not only will you get to fly the Raptor, you’ll also get INSTANT access to well over 200 airplanes and helicopters. No other flight simulator game on the planet offers this many aircraft to fly, NONE! So, if you’re ready for a flight simulation experience like no other, click on the button below NOW!